2011 ANNUAL REPORT YWCA TORONTO Striving for change SOURCES Housing Connections, www.housingconnections.ca. The Road to Health: Final Report on School Safety (aka: The Falconer Report). School Community Safety Advisory Panel, 2008. YWCA Canada, www.ywcacanada.ca. The Working Poor in the Toronto Region. John Stapleton, Brian Murphy, Yue Xing, The Metcalf Foundation, 2012. Equal Pay Coalition, equalpaycoalition.org. Rosemary Moodie BOARD PRESIDENT Heather M. McGregor CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Most of us want our lives to matter. We want to be able to make meaningful contributions so that the world will be somehow different because we have lived. The lives of most of the women and girls with whom YWCA Toronto works have been undermined by violence, poverty and discrimination. Despite this, most remain eager to transform their lives so that they can be active, contributing community members. YWCA Toronto continues to be inspired by the determination of the women and girls who access our services, not only to overcome the challenges they face, but to thrive. As an organization, we strive to improve continually, to ensure access to our services and to advocate for the changes that are required to address the systemic issues faced by women and girls. We want to thank the generous and determined Torontonians who donate to YWCA Toronto, making our work possible. At a time in which citizens around the world grapple with what it means to be part of a community and to define what responsibilities we have to each other, we at YWCA Toronto are struck by the strength of Toronto’s commitment to being a caring and inclusive city. In 2011, we opened the YWCA Elm Centre. During our four year fundraising campaign, more than $15 million was donated to this new affordable housing project by compassionate Torontonians eager to make a difference. In 2011, fundraising revenue for YWCA’s diverse programs totaled $2.6 million. We also had the benefit of 531 people who volunteered more than 20,000 hours of their time to YWCA Toronto. As we strive to adapt to the current economic climate in which we face increasing fiscal challenges, and as the debate continues about which values and priorities should guide our city-building, the YWCA remains optimistic that the commitment of Torontonians to building an inclusive, vibrant city will prevail. Thank you to our participants, volunteers, donors and staff who have contributed to YWCA Toronto’s efforts to be part of transforming the lives of women and girls and building a city in which all can thrive. 152,081 people are on the waiting list for affordable housing in Toronto. HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS Most of us know the benefit of home. Home is not only a roof over one’s head, it is also a stable, reliable place in which we find comfort, joy and nourishment. Home is where many of us receive the support we need to weather the challenges that life presents. For those who are homeless, there is despair, isolation and loneliness. Homelessness also makes people sick and robs them of opportunity to contribute to community. Homeless children are hit particularly hard. Homeless children tend to perform poorly at school, have difficult social relations, experience more illness and, as adults, experience greater social and economic difficulties. The YWCA knows from experience that stable housing with the right supports allows women and families to heal, rebuild and thrive. The YWCA offers a range of housing options including emergency shelters, transitional housing and permanent housing. In 2011, we housed 1,242 people. We also opened the YWCA Elm Centre, an innovative housing complex that offers 300 units of affordable and supportive housing for women and their families – as well as wonderful community space. Visionary and committed Torontonians contributed more than $15 million to help build the YWCA Elm Centre. The YWCA Elm Centre is the largest affordable housing development to be built anywhere in Canada in ten years. While we are thrilled to provide 300 new homes, we are well aware that we need to build more affordable housing and continue The YWCA to advocate for the protection and improvement of existing housing for Elm Centre is the low-income Torontonians. largest affordable housing built in In 2011, the YWCA was proud to be part of successful efforts to save three important the last ten years. city-run shelters from closure. In Canada, 50% of girls under the age of 16 have been victims of some form of violence. EMPOWERING GIRLS While some aspects of women’s equality have improved over the last few decades, girls’ lives continue to be thwarted by an endless slew of misogynist images and ideas from mainstream and social media. Many girls live in a world in which they face a barrage of degradation, harassment and violence. The YWCA helps girls confront sexism and violence – and empowers them to claim their lives for themselves. At the YWCA Girls’ Centre, at our Camp Tapawingo, in our Girls’ Council and in our settlement program for girls new to Canada, we help girls develop a sense of themselves as strong and competent. In 2011, these four girls’ programs empowered 1,762 girls. In 2011, we were inspired by the bravery of girls who are determined to challenge the sexism that surrounds them. Members of our Girls’ Council organized an art exhibit of their mixed-media work exploring gender-based violence and participated in a media conference on the same topic. Other girls participated in a range of workshops focused on media awareness, healthy dating and post-secondary education. At Camp Tapawingo, as girls tried new things like rock climbing and portaging, sometimes with great success and sometimes with great challenge, their self-confidence was strengthened. Many of the girls with whom the YWCA works are coping with poverty and discrimination, on top of the We help girls other pressures related to being a girl. But develop a sense clearly, girls are eager to take advantage of opportunities to build their strengths, of themselves grapple with the challenges they face and as strong and take action to build their futures. We just competent. need to make sure they have the necessary opportunities and support. Each year in Canada, violence forces over 100,000 women and children out of their homes and into shelters. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Because violence against women is so prevalent and so devastating, it is no surprise that in every YWCA program there are women who have experienced violence. Our expertise has enabled us to develop empowering support that helps women heal and reclaim their lives. With a range of programs, we help violence survivors flee violence, find safety, create a home, build skills, secure employment, improve their mental health and strengthen their parenting skills. In 2011, we housed 161 women and children in our emergency shelters for women and children fleeing violence. Our specialized staff, with expertise in the areas of housing, immigration, parenting and mental health, worked with shelter residents to help them rebuild their lives. Because violence does not just bruise, but also shames and degrades women, the YWCA offers a specialized employment program to women who have experienced violence. In 2011, we helped 108 women in this specialized program build their sense of self-worth, proudly claim their strengths, improve their skills and develop practical plans to improve their economic security. In our Here to Help program for parents and children who have experienced violence, 38 mothers and 62 children found support to heal and create healthy futures. 197 women found community, a sense of belonging and transformative mental health support in our group support program for women who have experienced violence. Our December 6th Fund provided interest-free loans to 90 women fleeing violence. But to be frank, as much as we are proud to be Our December part of women’s efforts to rebuild their lives, 6th Fund provides we are infuriated that the violence persists. We interest-free loans continue to address the root causes of violence to women fleeing through education and advocacy strategies in a determined attempt to ensure that all women violence. and girls are able to live free of violence. “If you want a highly competent population with limited behaviour problems and no violence, then you don’t have any choice but to invest in early childhood development.” -Dr. Fraser Mustard EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION Good early childhood education can save lives. High-quality early childhood education lays a foundation from which children can develop the skills and behaviour that will lead to healthy, successful and productive lives. Of course, access to affordable, high-quality childcare is also critical to mothers being able to participate in the labour market. It is both because of our commitment to women’s equality and our belief in the importance of excellent early childhood education that YWCA Toronto runs two early childhood development programs. The YWCA works with many children whose lives are impacted by the trauma and chaos of poverty and violence. For these children, and their families who are working so hard to establish stability and build healthy futures, excellent early childhood education not only provides consistency, but also the critical social and academic skills that profoundly impact children’s future well-being. In 2011, 162 children participated in our early childhood development programs. Despite the well documented value of early childhood education, the YWCA, like non-profit childcare providers across Ontario, struggled with insufficient funding and the impact Our early childhood of full-day kindergarten in 2011. For these development programs reasons, the YWCA engaged in efforts to work with many ensure childcare across Ontario has the children who are funding and flexibility required to deliver the impacted by trauma.